


In Different Conditions

by Of_Nyon



Series: tf oneshots [11]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Forbidden Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, New Years, Reminiscing, Teasing, Yearning, complicated feelings, past relationship, sort of???, they make out, ”secret” meeting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22290205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Of_Nyon/pseuds/Of_Nyon
Summary: It’s New Year’s Eve, and Optimus wants to share it with someone special to him. Megatron comes with questions that Prime answers truthfully.
Relationships: Megatron/Optimus Prime, past Megatronus/Orion Pax
Series: tf oneshots [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/994212
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	In Different Conditions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rvflection](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rvflection/gifts).



> I can’t believe I completely forgot to upload this. It was gonna be late anyway since I didn’t finish it for New Years BUT 2 WEEKS? Shit fellas
> 
> Anyway!! Happy (western) New Years y'all!! Hope this invoked as many complicated feelings in y’all as it did for me while I wrote it <3

Megatron stepped out of the ground bridge and instinctively checked his surroundings. No matter where he went on this Primus-forsaken planet, everything looked exactly the same and equally unpleasant. The ground was covered in so much dirt that found its way into nooks and crannies he didn’t even  _ know _ he had, there were way too many trees to move around comfortably through, the planet was populated with insolent fleshlings that would certainly make a bigger mess than he wanted if he stepped on one. 

Analyzing his surroundings and deeming himself relatively safe, he spotted the familiar silhouette sitting on the ground and puffed his armor out. 

“Why have you called me here, Prime?” He called, and waited nervously when Optimus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he could see the dim glow of those Matrix blue optics search behind them, and a hand gently patted an area next to him. 

“Come,” rang Optimus’s voice, and Megatron had to fight his body in order to suppress a shiver. Suddenly, he was hyper-aware of every little noise he could hear and it’s pitch. “Sit with me.”

Megatron walked until he stood beside the Prime, and he looked over the view Optimus seemed to have been appreciating just before his arrival. Below them was a sparse forest surrounding various thin streams of water. A small line of smoke could be made out in the darkness, but it was far enough to not worry Optimus. So, it wouldn’t worry Megatron either. 

As the silence stretched, Megatron couldn’t help but eye the sitting Prime. “…This is unlike you.”

Optimus’s façade broke, ever the slightest, but just enough for Megatron to discern the smirk, even after all these years. “I’m aware.”

“Why are we here?”

“I’ve learned a few things from the humans during my stay on this planet.”

“Oh?” At the confession, Optimus was just  _ asking _ for a sneer. “Do tell what you’ve learned that is so important that you needed to call  _ me.” _

Optimus didn’t take the bait, but Megatron had come to expect it. The Prime had perfected that awful pursed lips look. “The humans’ western year is ending soon, along with their decade. They will be celebrating a new solar cycle.”

Megatron couldn’t be any less interested, but he decided to entertain Optimus for now. “I see.”

“I heard no one would be coming all the way up  _ here _ to celebrate. This celebration is better done with loved ones.” The way Optimus paused made Megatron raise an eyebrow, and his sparked ached with something he refused to name. “…With their families.”

“I still don’t see why you’ve called me here,” Megatron growled out. “And why you’re telling me all this.”

“This isn’t the first time us Autobots have celebrated the humans’ new year. Or decade for that matter. But it  _ is _ the first time I’ve decided to be selfish, just this once.”

“I don’t follow-”

Optimus didn’t let him finish as he turned his torso to look at Megatron. The obviously complicated feelings swirling through his optics made Megatron pull his armor in, almost protectively. He  _ knew _ what those emotions were. 

“Megatron,” Optimus spoke up at last, and the way his normally powerful voice seemed to waver in the quiet almost worried the lord. Almost. “I wanted to celebrate this special holiday with  _ you, _ knowing full well it means nothing to you.”

Another confession, but Megatron didn’t know how to take this one. Even before he’d become a Prime, Optimus had never been one to think of himself and his wants. It brought up too many questions, but Megatron could only bring himself to voice one. 

“Why?”

Optimus’s optics lingered, just a second longer, before returning to the view below them. “You know why.”

He did, and Megatron clicked his teeth. He did his best to relax his shoulders and finally decided to sit down, ignoring the little glance of delight Optimus threw at him. “You’re ridiculous, Prime.”

He didn’t need to see the curve of Optimus’s lips as he said, “I know.”

They sat together, unmoving, and lost inside their own minds. They both watched as the string of smoke from earlier slowly fizzled out, replaced by louder sparks of light that would explode into smaller colored sparks. The noise didn’t bother them, but the wildlife scurried away from the noise and unusual light. It made the quiet intervals between each new firework deafeningly silent. 

In the end, it was Megatron that could no longer stand the silence. With his plating crawling up his spine, he asked almost entirely out of curiosity, “Was there  _ really _ no ulterior motive to this?”

The way Optimus breathed out brought up their old age and exhaustion. “I don't want to fight you, Megatron,” The Prime said, turning to truly examine the mech sitting at his side. “No matter what you think of me now, after all these millennia of fighting. I want to enjoy the simpler things in life.”

“So,” Megatron started, picking his words intentionally as a smirk stretched across his scarred face. “You’re admitting that this war is meaningless to you?”

The frustrated sigh and sagging of his shoulder kibble told Megatron he’d struck a nerve. “Don’t start with the wordplay,” Optimus said. “While fundamentally I have always agreed with you, I can’t say the same for your philosophy. That, along with the fact that I’ve become a Prime, doesn’t make me pure or exempt to flaws and mistakes.” He paused to quickly point between himself and Megatron. “This war is equally my responsibility as it is yours. We are not above consequences.”

Megatron let the smirk drop and kept his face carefully neutral. In the past, when Optimus had explained his side like  _ that, _ it had led to arguments and physical fights. Tonight, Megatron wasn’t sure why it hadn’t lit a fire in him like before, and, for once, he didn’t want it to. 

He pursed his lips, feeling like the scars on them were deeper than normal, and averted his gaze. “So… you wanted to spend time with  _ me?” _

“Yes,” Optimus replied, exasperated. “Is that truly so difficult to believe?”

Megatron thought hard. And, before he could stop it, his mind wandered into memories he’d long since blocked away. Memories of him and…  _ Orion. _ The ache in his spark was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

“Not really,” Megatron responded with a shrug. “You always were the emotional type.”

Optimus rolled his optics, and Megatron could feel the air around them shifting slightly. “As if you never were.”

And the fire in him burst. But the fire wasn’t out of anger. “I am  _ not!” _

“Let’s not fight, alright?” Optimus raised his hands, and Megatron furrowed his brows. “Just this once. A single night’s truce away from the rest. I won’t pick fun at you, and you won’t try to start an argument with me, yes?”

Megatron crossed his arms and huffed. “…You make a compelling argument.”

Optimus smiled. “Thank you, Megatron.”

“Whatever.”

“I mean it genuinely.” Optimus turned back to the view, counting the kliks before the next firework went off. “Thank you for allowing me this, and for sharing this with me.”

The ache made Megatron’s chassis feel tighter, and he was suddenly aware of the dark energon crystal lodged inside of his spark. “If you keep talking I may break the truce to strangle you.”

A rather pleasant memory between Orion and Megatronus resurfaced, and Optimus couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. “Like I would be opposed to it, particularly when we’re alone like this.”

“Optimus!” It didn’t take long for Megatron to realize that he’d  _ missed _ this side of the former archivist, and he buried that feeling quickly before he acted on it.

Optimus waved him off, struggling to keep his smile genuine. “No matter. I wouldn’t allow it here. Enjoy the night sky with me.”

“That is  _ hardly _ a proper way to change subjects after you’ve said something so-”

_ “Please, _ Megatron,” Optimus interrupted. He took a second to recollect himself and continued, “I agreed to not poke fun at you, but you’re making it harder with every word.”

“Fine,” Megatron grumbled. “I’ll stare at the sky.” Without uncrossing his arms, he let himself fall backwards onto the ground, and hard. “There. Happy?”

Optimus followed suit, though with much more grace. He couldn’t wipe the silly grin off his face, but he was glad Megatron wouldn’t be able to see it like this. “Quite.”

The silence returned, and Megatron didn’t find it unbearable this time. Facing upwards, Megatron couldn’t resist studying the stars. They were lightyears away from Cybertron, so  _ of course _ the constellations would be different. Gazing up at the universe above, Megatron couldn’t help but feel tinier than the organic insects littering this world. To make matters worse, another ache built inside him, this one homesickness.

The fireworks continued, with shorter breaks in between each other.

“It’s almost time,” Optimus nearly whispered, as if by speaking his full volume the fragile air around them would shatter. Megatron lifted his head up to look at Optimus, and frowned.

“For what?”

Optimus simply turned his head. “The new year.”

“Ah.” Megatron lay back down, not allowing himself to feel silly for not remembering. “Right.”

Optimus didn’t pick up, or at least pretended not to see, his discomposure, and soon changed the subject. “Fascinating how the humans quantified their time compared to ours.”

He pulled up a small hologram from his wrist to compare human minutes and hours to Cybertronian kliks. Despite the glyphs being obviously different, the intervals themselves were different, making Optimus want to calculate just how much slower their time was. It was simple math, but it always stirred more questions in him. 

“You always were a stickler for studying even the tiniest nuances,” Megatron commented, looking over at the hologram in feigned interest. Optimus would bet any amount of shanix that  _ Megatronus _ would’ve shared his curiosity as well. 

The old, almost forgotten name brought a deep remorse with it, and a wonder of what could have been if things had been different. He didn’t want to let those feelings consume him when Megatron of the  _ now  _ was at his side.

“How could I  _ not _ be?” Optimus asked, pulling up other little things that have intrigued him over the years. From human clothes to different celebrations and traditions, he saved and categorized everything that came up. It always led him down a deeper rabbit hole of more topics to uncover. “Human culture will always be so interesting to me.”

Megatron turned his head away, huffing with something… not entirely readable. “How much longer until the new year?”

Optimus turned off the hologram. “Mere kliks now.”

“Won’t your team of Autobots and pet humans miss you?”

“They know I’m out here with you,” Optimus said. “I don’t see a reason to lie to them.”

“Hn. A shame.” A devious grin spread across Megatron’s face as he leaned close to Optimus’s. “I hoped to be a  _ dirty _ little secret for the Prime.”

“Oh  _ please, _ Megatron. You’re anything  _ but _ a dirty secret.” Optimus sized him up, though less for a fight and more to remind Megatron of what he needed to hear. His reactions had become unpredictable, especially to what he refused to speak on.

“You have never been dirty, nor a secret. You never will be either.”

The grin faded quickly, and Megatron stared a moment longer. “Whatever you say.”

Before anything else could be said, a small beep came from the Prime’s wrist, and bigger fireworks lit the skies ahead of them. 

Optimus smiled warmly, and turned to face Megatron completely. “Happy new year, Megatron. May I ask you for one last, selfish request?”

Megatron took a second to respond, as if he had to return to the present after Optimus’s last comment. When he did, he turned to face Optimus, and a forgotten tenderness coated his words. “What is it?”

It made Optimus hesitate. Did he really want to ask? He did, but did he really want to ruin the time they’ve shared up until then? He was willing to risk it. Just this once.

“Can I kiss you?”

Megatron paused again, staring at the Prime beside him in disbelief. In any other situation, a barrel full of insults and jabs at the question would’ve left his mouth. In any other situation, he would’ve thought Optimus had finally gone mad.

Now…

“Do what you want… Optimus.”

Seeing the way Optimus’s face melted in silent excitement was worth holding back his tongue.

“Thank you,” Optimus whispered, and he didn’t waste time leaning forward and connecting their lips together. 

The fireworks ahead of them continued, but it did nothing to distract the two from the little spark of electricity they shared. Familiar, as if nothing had changed, nothing had separated them after all these years, and yet still so new and…  _ different. _

Megatron couldn’t remember the last time he desired the Prime like this. His new taste was  _ intoxicating. _ Familiarity woven with taboo excited him all the more. He hated that he loved it. He hated that he loved the feeling that he was breaking the rules. He hated that he loved feeling rebellious  _ with _ Optimus. He hated that it reminded him of Orion. 

And Optimus could feel a weight akin to a planet lift off of his shoulders. Even after so long, after all the fighting and arguing, after all the death, Megatron desired him. Megatron  _ loved _ him. He could feel it in the kiss, and he would be  _ damned _ if he didn’t take this opportunity to catch up on what he’d missed with Megatronus. 

…If only he had time. 

Optimus cut the kiss short, leaning away from a disappointed Megatron, but staying within his touch. He sat up and looked ahead at the fireworks, and the other followed suit. 

“As much as I hate to do this,” he said. “I must head back soon. My family expects me to return lest they think you’ve done something to me.”

Megatron scoffed, though it wasn’t full of his usual malevolence. “You seduce me and now you’re backing off?”

Optimus couldn’t help rolling his optics.  _ “You _ were the one that kissed me back.”

“And  _ you _ didn’t stop it.”

Optimus breathed in as he looked at Megatron. He knew exactly how the other was interpreting this. It was the exact same as the night with the council. He stood up, no longer wanting to see the betrayal reflect off those bright optics he longed for. “I have to go, Megatron.”

As if on cue, the familiar green of a ground bridge flashed behind them, and Optimus turned to look at it. 

“They’re right on time,” he mused. 

Megatron stood his full height, looking down at Optimus with something so distant. “Go, Prime.”

He didn’t want to go, but Optimus figured he may as well say something before he left. He turned to look at Megatron and offered a small, genuine smile. 

“…I had fun tonight. Thank you for sharing this moment with me, and thank you for the kisses.”

Megatron didn’t react as outwardly as Optimus expected, simply blinking and searching for something within Optimus. “…You’re welcome.”

Optimus stepped towards the bridge and sighed. “I’ll be seeing you.”

Megatron didn’t follow him. Not this time. “In different conditions.”

Optimus almost faltered. “…Right.” Almost. 


End file.
